JC sales tax revenue falls below lowered projections

Above is a graph of one-cent sales tax revenues from May 2012 to April 2013 contained in an account analysis document prepared by the City of Jefferson. View or download the document via the link within the accompanying article.

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After approving a series of budget cuts and lowering sales tax projections to deal with a $1.68 million budget shortfall, Jefferson City’s sales tax numbers still are not meeting projections.

The sales tax report for April shows the 1 percent general sales tax came in $74,988 below projections. The city recently lowered its sales tax projections for the year when it became apparent they would not be met. The month’s receipts have put the total shortfall for the 1 percent sales tax at $59,436.

But April wasn’t just a bad month for the general sales tax. The half-cent capital improvement sales tax fell $40,806 below projections for month, putting the total shortfall at $34,000. The half-cent parks sales tax fell $111,139 below projections for the month, resulting in a total shortfall of $9,332.

Mayor Eric Struemph said he wants to have the finance committee take a closer look at the figures before moving forward or making any decisions. Because new City Council members will be sworn in Monday, all council committees are in the process of being reconstituted.

“I look forward to getting our new finance committee seated,” Struemph said. “I look forward to looking at that and seeing what we need to do to change things as we move forward.”

Struemph said it’s only six months into the 12-month budget, and they need to see how things continue to come in.

“We’re doing, as government, just what we’re doing out here in the private sector,” Struemph said. “We’re looking at our revenues and our projections, and if we have to make changes in those, we’re making those.”